Starting Over (part two)

Aug 25, 2007
Last month, in a fit of frustration, I tore down my old altar. (The fact that I haven't much missed it in a month is not a good sign, I think.) Today, I got me a new altar table.

It didn't cost me anything; I got it from Freecycle, an amazing email barter system. Have something you don't want, you send an email to the list. See something you want, you email someone about their post. Need something in particular, send an email, go out two days later to pick up your brand-new altar table. My old altar table is getting scrubbed down and moved to the living room, and the table it's replacing will go back on Freecycle. It's the new urban ecosystem -- take something out, put something back in.

It's round! I've never had a round altar before; I'll have to rearrange some things. I've always had quite a formal-looking altar, actually, and I think it's time to mix it up a bit. And what shall I do with the top? Shall I paint it? Finish it? Engrave it? Cover it with an altar cloth? Oh, I have so many options, for my current plan is to have it ready for its first dedication on Samhain. It will (hopefully) see use before then; I see no point in making a commitment to something you haven't tried out first.

I'm looking forward to remaking it immensely, actually. I remember the first time I put an altar up properly, and how wonderful it was, and how it felt like an entirely different world from the rest of my bedroom in my parents' house in the middle of nowhere. But I'd been basically moving that altar around ever since; I'm far from the same person I was when I was sixteen. It's definitely time for a change.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. This is a very cool looking table. I love the legs; what a great design detail.

Jen Moore said...

Thanks! I'm loving the legs, too, they're so nifty. :) I'm quite ridiculously happy about getting started on rebuilding my altar. It's about time...

Anna Hammett said...

Hah! Banner love.

You raise some interesting points in my own skull. Really, I want to see if moving things around so I can actually get to the altar will help my space.

Turtleheart said...

Nice table! It looks like a nice big size, too. And it's from freecycle! I'd say you scored on all points.

My main altar for the past 6 or so years has been on the top of a short bookshelf. Lately that space has been feeling too narrow and crowded. I'm ready for a change.

Jen Moore said...

anna - yep, that was one of the problems I was having: the altar was tucked away in a corner and frequently walled off by dirty laundry. Not really condusive to use...

turtleheart - I was definitely having a crowding problem, too. That and I had been using an old coffee table, which puts it down on the ground. I like to move about during ritual...